I Never Saw
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: AU fic. Victor, Sue and Reed turn up to their 10 year MIT reunion...and Victor never saw what he could see now.


**This is an AU fic based on 'I see it now' by Tracy Lawrence. It's a beautiful song. This fic happens as if none of the powers have ever come into play, and Sue and Reed's relationship never turned sour the first time around.**

The summer they had left MIT, they had promised to meet up for a ten year reunion, no matter what. It didn't matter where they were, what they were doing, or who they were with, they would come back to the MIT school for a get together, and would do every year after that. July 12th. That's what the date was today, and the day of their reunion had finally come around.

Victor Von Doom was one of the first to turn up at the location for their reunion, one of the fraternity houses at MIT. He had travelled from Latveria. He had gone back to his home country after they had all received their qualifications, wanting to make a fresh start in his country, that was suffering immensely in his absence. He had even tried to hunt down his childhood sweetheart, to see if she was still waiting for him, as she had promised she would, but from what he could find out, she had never returned to her home after she had visited her father in the mountain regions, and had been pronounced dead after a summer-long search. No one knew where she was now. That had hurt him, to know that he had driven her away so easily when he had genuinely cared for her. He didn't know whether or not it was love, but whatever it was, it was strong, and that same part of him that felt that convinced him that she was still alive; so he kept on searching.

Soon to join him was a dark haired couple. They were married now, he could see from the wedding bands on their fingers, and the way that they seemed to be so happy together. A young boy, approximately two years old, caught Victor's eye shyly when he greeted the boys parents, and gave him a tiny wave. This wasn't the only couple to appear with children. A girl that he had been lab partners with once turned up with a man he didn't recognise and a girl who appeared to be around eight years old. Her name was Catherine, so he was told, named for her grandmother. Another old friend of his arrived with a woman that he introduced as his 'friend'. Victor knew that it was more than friendship though. He had seen enough pregnant woman in his life to know the early signs of a baby bump, and this so-called 'friend' definitely had one. A thin young woman named Sarah arrived next. No children came with her though. He knew that Sarah was sick with cancer a short while ago, but she looked well now. She had a natural rosy colour on her cheeks, and was smiling. He hoped that she wasn't sick anymore, she was a good woman, who had a high loyalty to her friends; Victor among them. One man came alone. Victor didn't know why, but he didn't expect this man to bring anyone with him. He just didn't seem like the kind of guy that would. He was more of a lone ranger, as it were, like himself.

More people arrived, and they broke open the buffet at last. He grabbed himself a beer, and returned to his seat on the other side of the room, sitting down and keeping to himself...waiting for her.

She came.

He was wondering whether she would come.

He hadn't seen her since they had parted ways ten years ago. He'd felt for her, he always had, but it was a parting that had left her with another man to call her own, and he, once more, alone. Just as he thought, when Reed Richards walked through the door to the hall, she was right behind him, as was another arrival, that was in Reed's arms. It was at that moment, right then, that Victor gave up on her.

_Its good to see your face again  
It's been a while  
How am I doing?  
Well I get by somehow_

Even when he'd heard the rumours of their relationship, he hadn't believed them. Something inside of him had always fought against the fact that Susan Storm and Reed Richards were actually together. Something inside of him still loved her, and he wasn't sure why. He didn't want to love her. He tried to tell himself that he didn't know how to love, he only knew how to hurt, but when the three of them walked in, he felt his heart shattering to pieces, and knew that he had loved and lost.

He had lost his chance with her long ago. Too many mistakes had caused that. Too many of his mistakes. There were no second chances when he was already exhausting his tenth. He never got close enough to see what Reed got to see every day.

From across the room, he looked at the three of them, watching their interactions with the others. When one man shook Reed's hand, Victor noticed that there wasn't a wedding band, but there was a pretty little ring on Susan's finger. They were obviously just getting around to the wedding.

But it was the baby that caught his eye. Couldn't be more than three months old. Just old enough for him to see that it was a girl and that she looked exactly like her mother. They had dressed her in a pretty white dress, not too girly, not pink, he remembered that Susan had never been fond of pink, it would only make sense that her child wouldn't have worn much of the colour either. She reared her head, looking around her at the mass of people. Her head turned towards him, and the baby version of Susan's blue eyes met his.

Susan cooed over her child, and noticing her daughter's intense look, she followed her gaze, catching Victor's eye. Surprisingly, she smiled at him, and then whispered something to Reed. He handed her the baby, and then she made her way over to Victor. He stood up as she approached, placing his beer on a nearby table, and walked to meet her.

_You sure look good  
Since your new love  
Came in your life  
No I didn't see that fire in you  
He's found_

"I was wondering whether you were going to grace us with your presence tonight." He said, nudging his head towards the clock that showed they were half an hour later than the others.

"We lost track of time." She said innocently.

_Oh, but I can see it now_

She looked beautiful. The top half of her blonde hair was gathered up, but the rest were hanging over her shoulders as normal, curled at the bottom slightly. She had some subtle make up on, but not enough to go by the standards of the teenagers he saw nowadays in this city, just enough to highlight her already shining eyes. She was wearing a summery pale blue dress, that clung in all the right places, showing off the latest curves that the child in her arms had obviously caused.

_I never saw  
That look in your eyes  
And I never have had  
You hold me that tight_

"You look wonderful." He complimented, nodding.

"Not so bad yourself." She said, admiring the fact that he was dressed up nicely in a smart white shirt and black trousers.

Victor's eyes fell once again on the baby that Susan held. She definitely looked like Susan. The same eyes looked up at him, and the hair on her head, undoubtedly blonde, was already curling softly. "She's beautiful. Congratulations." He said, giving the baby a smile.

"Thanks." Susan smiled, proudly looking down at her daughter.

_And I never saw  
You dance with your feet off the ground  
Oh but I see it now_

"What's her name?"

"Valeria." Susan said, placing a kiss on top of the baby's head as it moved slightly. She smiled. "She's just starting to react to her name."

"And a beautiful one at that." He nodded. "Is she your first child?"

Much against his hopes, Susan shook her head, another proud smile on her cheeks. "No, we have a son, too. We left him at home with my brother because he picked up a stomach bug from his friend so he's not feeling great. His name's Franklin."

"After your father." Victor nodded. "I was sorry to hear about his death."

"Yeah, we all were." Susan nodded sadly. "At least he got to meet his grandson first." Victor looked at her in confusion. "Franklin's seven this fall." She confirmed. "He was only two when my father died, but at least they had some time together."

Valeria began to fuss, and when Susan raised her hand to calm the child by stroking her head, Victor noticed her engagement ring in more detail. "So, a wedding as well?" He asked, when she didn't say anything.

"Next month." She told him. "August 18th. We wanted it after this party, because we wanted you all there."

He smirked. "Does that invitation go as far as me, as well?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You too."

"I'll check my diary." He said professionally, getting a laugh out of her. They fell into a silence, which was broken only by the music playing in the background. The music that was summing up everything that he was feeling. He saw Reed looking over, and nudged her arm slightly, getting her to follow his gaze. "I think your fiancé wants to dance." He commented.

"Yeah, I guess so." She smiled, and started back towards Reed. "It's good to see you again, Victor." She said softly to him.

He nodded, watching her go, but then calling her back. "Susan!" She turned at her name, and went back to him. "Just answer me one thing." He said. "You and Reed," He nodded towards Reed. "Are you happy?"

She looked back at Reed, who smiled at the eye contact, and she grinned back. Then she looked down at little Valeria, who was playing with Susan's hair with her little podgy fingers. She thought of her son at home, beautiful and happy and everything she'd ever longed for in life. She looked back at Victor, and there was a glittering in his eyes that she had been given, and that was answer enough for him. He knew that with all his mistakes, he never had, and never would have, a chance to put that light in her eyes. Not in this lifetime. It was selfish for him to want that as well. She had a hard childhood, as he had been told one night about how their mother had died when she was very young, and that she had raised her younger brother in her absence, and he knew that she, of all people, deserved some happiness.

"Yeah, yeah I'm really happy." She said, smiling broadly.

Then he did the hardest thing he had ever done. He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and placed a hand on her child, hers and Reed's child's, head. "Well then, I'm happy for you." He told her.

_Holding him you never looked more beautiful  
Letting go has been so hard on me_

He watched the pair of them dancing later that evening. At the moment, Ben Grimm's fiancée was fussing over Valeria, as were the other women who thought that she was too adorable to leave alone. Before then, Reed had been dancing with both Susan, who he held against him with one arm, and Valeria, who was held against him with his other arm. Victor couldn't help but feel jealous. They both looked so happy, just being in each others company. He wished that he hadn't messed things up with her so badly.

_And sitting here it's clear to see  
What he means to you_

Now, he watched them embracing each other, moving gently in time to the music. It was a slow song, naturally, that spoke of eternal love and whatnot, and as much as he hated it, he would love to be the man holding Susan and singing along with those words to her. But instead, she was in Reed's arms, and he was singing the words to her, whispering them gently into her ear so that a contented smile was plastered onto her lips. He watched with a deep regret as she raised her head and met his lips in a passionate kiss.

_When you look at him  
It ain't no mystery_

He looked away, somehow, he didn't want to be caught staring at them, particularly during an intimate moment. He could imagine their life, so wonderfully perfect. Reed with his nine-to-five job in a research lab, Susan staying at home spending every moment she could with her children. There was probably a thousand photos on the wall of themselves, their babies, and their friends and family, all smiling at them from every room of the house. They probably had a really nice bedroom, a lovely plush bed with hundreds of pillows, and they would hold each other all night long. Valeria probably had a beautiful nursery, probably one that Reed would have decorated himself. He could imagine Susan wanting to help, but him insisting that she needed to rest or something. Knowing him, he probably surprised her with the result. Franklin probably had more toys than he could ever wish for, yet wouldn't act like a spoiled brat. Instead, he lived off his parents love. Reed probably took her out to nice dinners, romantic walks along the beach, sunset and all. He probably showered her with gifts that he brought 'just because'. They probably had the life that everyone dreamed of. They were probably thinking of adding another member of the family even though Valeria was still so young. And for some reason, he could imagine them having a cat as well.

_He's all I couldn't be_

Everything was different about her now that she was with Reed, though. Not just physically, although it was only the different of a few pounds here and there that came from having a baby. She carried herself differently, like she was floating on air, or maybe that was just because she looked so natural holding a baby. Something else that had changed was the fact that she had smiled all night. He didn't think he had ever seen her go a whole day without getting a frown, or a far off look in her eyes where she'd worried over exam stresses and equations. Tonight, the only far off look she had was the one that came from being relaxed in Reed's arms.

_I never saw that look in your eyes_

The way Reed looked at her hurt him. Why hadn't he looked at her like that? He cared about her, but he hadn't ever given her that look. It was like Reed was seeing something inside of her that he had never seen. The way she looked back at him as well, it was no secret how much she cared for him. They felt equally in love. They had to be in love, they were getting married, they had a baby together. They were dancing together and looking at each other like they were the only people in the room.

_And I never have had you hold me that tight_

What else made him think, was that everyone else seemed to know what was going on between them. Had all of them known that Susan was engaged to Reed? Had they been there to see her glowing from her pregnancy? Had they been there when her baby was still newborn, and their son before that? Had they been there, and not told thought to inform him of anything?

_I never saw you dance with your feet off the ground_

He supposed that was his fault, considering that he seemed to lose all contact with everyone once returning to Latveria. But still, everything had changed around him since he had faded into the background on their lives so that he could put the lives of his people first.

_Oh but I see it now_

He once wondered whether Susan was the first woman he had ever been in love with. She was the first woman that he had actually wanted to spend time with, not just be with intimately. He wanted to be with her the way Reed was...he wanted her to look at him like she was looking at Reed...part of him even wanted her to be carrying his child around happily, but the rest of him knew that these hopes were over now.

Everyone around him had watched Susan grow up from the young woman he had known in their MIT days. She had been freed from her life that she had resented for so many years with her need to be a parent to a brother only four years her junior. She had made herself a good life, rather than perfecting the lives of others. She had fallen in love. She had found herself a good life. She had a baby. She was getting married next month. Everyone had been there to see it.

Victor...he hadn't seen it.

But he saw it now.


End file.
